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The Shut-Down-Your-Devices Edition Monday, November 27, 2017

Apps Can Cut Blue Light From Devices, But Do They Help You Sleep?, by Jon Hamilton, NPR

Zoltowski says people need to remember that devices are just one source of blue light. Others include indoor lighting, street lights and car headlights.

So he says a filtering app may not be worth it, especially if you're already getting a good night's sleep, he says.

[...]

If you're serious about getting better sleep, though, you might want to avoid screens entirely near bedtime, Zoltowski says. "Try to wind down, shut down your devices, dim the lights, relax, and maybe read a book the old fashioned way," he says.

ANZ Tech Chief Heralds Its Apple Advantage In Bank Tech Revolution, by Paul Smith, AFR

Speaking with The Australian Financial Review after addressing a Trans Tasman Business Circle lunch event in Sydney on Friday, ANZ's group technology executive Gerard Florian said he was surprised that no other of the big four banks had sacrificed a slice of payment revenue to sign on with Apple Pay, and that ANZ was delighted it took the plunge back in April 2016.

[...]

In addition to the number of existing customers signing up to use Apple Pay, Mr Florian said ANZ was crediting it as being a key factor in customers opening new accounts. The bank also found that 89,000 customers it described as "disengaged" had added their ANZ card to a digital wallet and begun transacting again.

Elementary 1 Of 2 'Apple Distinguished' Schools In State, by Jordan Nelson, The Register-Herald

"We don't use the iPads just for iPad time," Lett said. "We've been taught that it can be a great tool for a variety of everyday activities and lessons."

[...]

"It's my job to help the school by teaching them ways to bring technology in with almost everything they teach," Williams said. "And Cranberry is so embracing when it comes to technology. We're doing great things here."

Williams is the creator of ItunesU courses, which is a teaching management system she created in collaboration with the school's teachers.

Happy To Receive Apple, Awaiting Formal Proposal, Says Suresh Prabhu, by India Times

"Let us get a good proposal from them...We will be very happy to receive Apple, one of the top brands in the world. We are willing to find out if there is any difficulty they may face. We will be more than happy to resolve that difficulty. So we will await a formal proposal," Prabhu told PTI in an interview.

[...]

The Cupertino-based iPhone and iPad manufacturer Apple has asked for certain concessions for setting up manufacturing unit in the country.

Stuff

Hands On: Scrivener 3.0 Further Refines The Writing, Research Process On The Mac, by Mike Wuerthele and William Gallagher, AppleInsider

Scrivener 3.0 for Mac is a writing environment: you write in it but you also use the tool to keep your research organized. Use it to prepare manuscripts for different places like publishers and websites. Use it to break up long documents into manageable pieces.

It's not as bursting with writing features as Microsoft Word, but it is a powerful word processor that comes with exceptional tools for writers. Scrivener 3.0 is actually an exciting update: it adds to those tools and is a delight to use.

YouTube App Update Promises Fix For iOS 11 Battery Drain Bugs, by Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac

The release notes for version 12.45 of the YouTube app [...] says that it ‘fixed an issue with battery usage’.

Microsoft's Newest iPhone App Uses AI To Help You Learn Chinese, by Paul Thurrott

Microsoft’s Learn Chinese app uses artificial intelligence and speech recognition in order to track the user’s performance.

Develop

A Meritocracy Is A Trailing Indicator, by Michael Lopp, Rands in Repose

There are many good reasons for an engineer to want to move into management, but if their only reason is the perception that management is they best place to grow as a leader, then you’ve started down a path where the perception is leadership is not the job of individuals. This is disaster.

Bottom of the Page

I haven't used Night Shift for a long time already, because I found that it didn't made a difference in my life.

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We all have limited time on this Earth. Some of us, when we really realize this, will focus on doing good work. Or focus on a specific interest or hobby. Or maybe buy a red sports car.

The question for me, on the other hand, is to figure out my media consumption strategy. Do I try to discover new books to read, or stick with the 'classics'? (I'm going through Stephen King's Dark Tower series right now.) Do I just watch whatever Netflix recommends, or should I also subscribe to Amazon's? How does Apple's upcoming offering change my strategy? Do I spend my time watching DVD extras, or should time be better invested in watching another new series?

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

:-)

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Thanks for reading.